Bird Watchers Eagerly Await Hatching Of Eagles' Eggs
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- An eagle's nest, tucked into a tree on a hillside in Hays, is drawing visitors to the nearby Heritage Trail.
They include Bob Mulvihill, an ornithologist with the National Aviary. He says you may have to wait a while before seeing an eagle in flight.
But what interests him the most is that it's been 35 days since the mother laid the first of three eggs.
"If it doesn't hatch today," he says, "we can be pretty sure it will hatch tomorrow."
But in nature, there are no guarantees.
"It's by no means assured that all three will hatch," Mulvihill adds. "It's by no means assured that if all three will hatch, that all three will survive."
Just 30 years ago, eagles were an endangered species. Only three nesting pairs were found in Pennsylvania. A recent survey, however, turned up more than 150 nests.
To keep an eye on the eagles, the Pennsylvania Game Commission set up a security camera on a nearby tree.
"They had a tree climber who went up in and positioned the camera where it needed to be," Mulvihill says. "They got a new line of sight to the new nest. They did all of this without disturbing the eagles at all."
The live "Eagle Cam" on the web has been seen by hundreds of thousands. It runs 24/7, including the night a raccoon stopped in.
"The eagle, when it realized that something was that close, just reared up and spread her wings, and you know, 'Who are you? What are you? Get out of here!'" Mulvihill laughs.
Last year, the same eagle pair raised one chick to maturity. This year, there could be more.
"I haven't met a single person on this trail who isn't absolutely thrilled at the fact that we have bald eagles nesting in the city of Pittsburgh," Mulvihill says.
They're all hoping the eagles soon get a visit from the stork.
To watch the Hays eagles, visit the Eagle Cam here!
RELATED LINKS:
More Reports on the Hays Eagles
More Reports by Dave Crawley
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter
